Guwahati, February 20: The Assam Police is yet to receive cooperation from the police force of Arunachal Pradesh in nabbing the miscreants involved in the killing of eleven persons in the Behali Reserve Forest. Meanwhile, though an Arunachal Pradesh-based militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the killings, the police and security forces are not keen to accept the claim as the victims could identify most of the assailants.

Residents stage a road blockade at Behali to protest the killing of 10 people.

According to highly placed police sources till date, the Arunachal Pradesh Police has not been able to nab any of those involved inthe killings. Sources said the complainants could identify most of those involved in the attack on January 29 and the assailants have also been named in the FIRs of the three cases registered in this connection.

Sources said that as the assailants were from Arunachal Pradesh, cooperation from the police force of that state is required to nab the culprits. But unfortunately,till datenone of the culprits has been nabbed and handed over to Assam Police to face trial in connection with the cases registered.

Sources also expressed the view that the Arunachal Pradesh based outfit might have claimed responsibility for the killing to “shield the real culprits”. The name of the outfit cropped up only after a few days after the killing and as only single barrel guns were used in the attack, it seems unlikely that any militant group was involved in the attack.

Sources furthersaid thata number of people living in the border areas have guns including country made weapons, anyone could have instigated the miscreants to launch the attack.

An Arunachal Pradesh based militant outfit, National Liberation Council of Taniland (NLCT) has claimed the responsibility for the attack in Behali reserve forest andsaid thatthe attack was in retaliation to “illegal eviction carried out by Assam in the area.”

In a statement, the outfit warned that more bloodshed could be seen in that area. The outfit alsosaid thatthe Central Government as well as the Governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were not interested in finding permanent solution to the boundary dispute. Meanwhile, security sourcessaid thatthe NLCT was not a very active militant outfit and no activity of the outfit was noticed in recent times.

Sourcessaid thatthough the NLCT claims that it was formed in the 1990s, the existence of the same came to light only around 2008. According to information available with thesecurity agencies, in 2008, a group of around 15 youths headed by one Antony Doka went to a camp of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) to receive training and later another batch went for training. The total strength of the outfit was around 40 or so, but it was believed that a few members of the outfit maintained links with a handful of political leaders.

But in recent times, there was no report of any activity of the outfit and only after the killing in Behali the name of the outfit cropped up once again.